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Thursday, September 19, 2013

F.U.S.E fest returns this weekend to Fresno

The Catacomb Party isn't the only local music festival - F.U.S.E (Fresno Urban Sound Experience) is entering its sixth year with another great lineup of local bands.

15 bucks gets you two nights of music at some great venues. There are some changes this year - the festival is smaller (as a result of Catacomb...?) but that doesn't mean it's not worth visiting. Seriously, $15 for two nights of music? It's a steal.

While previous years have included up to a dozen venues, this year it's limited to 8 stages in 4 venues, all at the northern side of downtown. The first night is exclusively at Fulton 55, alternating between the main stage and a smaller stage upstairs, while the second night is mostly at the Warnor's theater complex. One cool thing is that they're apparently using the main stage, which should be fun for the bands. As usual, Tokyo Garden closes out the night - but you have to get there before the music starts if you want food.

It's sort of disappointing that the venue hopping aspect is gone, as I thought it was a great way to discover new places. However, for those who like to listen to music while not straying far from a bar, this is a better setup. For me, I personally liked previous years with food venues, like Joe's Steakhouse, the Casino, and what used to be a downtown sports bar. Maybe if Fresnans actually went out, they'd have enough attendance to support that again?